Piper PA-28-140 accident near Hoboken, Georgia, March 23, 1982
On March 23, 1982 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N5841U, was destroyed in an accident near Hoboken, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 1982 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hoboken, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N5841U · no longer on the register · serial 26672
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING TAKEOFF, HE ACCELERATED TO 68 MPH, THEN REALIZED HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO CLEAR TREES. HE STATED THAT HE CLOSED THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE, AIMED THE AIRCRAFT AT AN OPENING IN THE TREES, AND MAINTAINED A LEVEL ATTITUDE UNTIL IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE TREES ABOUT 18 FT AGL. THE LANDING STRIP WAS ABOUT 1700 FT LONG AND SLOPED UPHILL AT APPROXIMATELY A 3 DEGREE ANGLE TO ABOUT MIDFIELD. ABOUT HALF OF THE STRIP APPEARED TO BE FRESHLY PLOWED AND HAD BEEN DRAGGED WITH A BAR TO SMOOTH OUT THE HIGH SPOTS AND WAS STILL SOFT. THE TREES AT THE END OF THE STRIP WERE ABOUT 50 FEET TALL. THE PERFORMANCE CHART FOR THIS AIRCRAFT SHOWED THAT APPROXIMATELY 1700 FT WOULD BE REQUIRED FOR TAKEOFF WITHOUT CONSIDERATION OF THE UPWARD SLOPE AND SOFT SURFACE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,045 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 1,045 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,350 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hoboken GA at 1:55 pm
- Destination: Hoboken GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 1,700 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.